Strictly D.T

Recording artist, Decial Douglass also known as Strictly D.T, born in Seattle, Washington later moving to Perth, Australia in 2005 and now located in Melbourne. Strictly D.T started writing poems and songs at the age of 10 and became a recording artist at the early age of 17. Over the years, D.T has grown from writing in his bedroom to sharing the stage at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall with HALO Vocal Ensemble.

 DT's first show was at Perth's Metro City in 2006 in a rap competition. This was the beginning of his regular Perth performances around the city including support act for artists such as Mos Def, Common, Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Branching out, he began hosting events, spoken word poetry, performing at B-Boy shows and many more. Moving to Melbourne, he’s begun connecting with new people like Leigh “Deets” from GET DOWN EVENTS. Performing at their events which opened up an invitation to triplej’s Bars of Steel.

D.T's first four projects were released under a local independent label, who he worked with until the beginning of 2017. His first mixtape was hosted by Wu Tang Clans official DJ, DJ Symphony and featured artists like Hopsin. Growing into his first EP, D.T’s project was produced by Perth’s OathOne and featured artists like A.G from D.I.T.C, Chino XL, Kid Tsu, Rizvan, and DJ Bless. D.T has since become a fully independent recording and performing artist releasing albums such as Note To Self being fully produced by Sydney’s Ralph-Rad.

“I would say a lot of my music and what I talk about is self reflection, and healing from trauma in my life and community. Flipping it into something constructive like music and training. Being a role model ancestor for my kids to come all the while trying to upgrade my DNA by letting go of inter generational trauma passed down by my family. “

D.T has placed much emphasis on developing his writing and poetry leading him to win The "International Songwriters Competition" in 2017 with his song "Love Not Lust". With over 16,000 entries from 140 countries, DT was fortunate enough to take first place. Judged by renowned artists such as Ziggy Marley, Lorde, Booker T. Jones, Tom Waits and many more. 


Later that year, D.T's dream was realised when the two of them were joined by the eight piece band "Premiss" at the iconic Fremantle Arts Centre for the release of his mixtape.
The release of D.T's mixtape "Leave A Message" was the beginning of a new inspired style of writing and performing. Focusing on self reflection and leaving a message in each song in such a way that is still current in the way we listen to music today. This has lead him into his next project with Sydney based producer, Ralph Radical. 

With the release of their first single, "Parlay", it gained much attention from the public and Triple J. People from all over Australia loved the new sound and even had New Zealand followers reaching out with their support. Coming closer to the release D.T worked with Johnny Yayo from 76M to create the music video for Note To Self.

Since then, D.T has been focusing on himself since the pandemic hit. He was forced to put music in the backseat and face a lot of his childhood trauma, new addictions due to the lockdowns and the family politics that has been holding him back from his growth. He decided to not release any music for two years. Now coming back into it, he realised that a lot of the songs he was writing where about the conversations he was having. So his idea for his next project was to share conversations that he’s had with everyone close to him and tie them into the songs that inspired them. This will be coming out in 2022.

Exploring Melbourne’s city D.T met Liona Tatafu the director of HALO Vocal Ensemble, a 10-25 choir of Melbourne’s finest singers and became one of the MC’s for the group. The ensemble puts a modern spin on the definition of choir, bringing a new sound to the masses. HALO’s transcendental performances see the city’s favourite voices gather in one space to perform collaboratively and collectively, with the combined energy and talent permeating ever deeper with each ethereal harmony.

With major help with DJ MzRizk, HALO previously sold out their hugely successful shows at Melbourne Music Week x Melbourne Museum Summer Plaza Series in January 2021, Melbourne International Jazz Festival (2021), and MOOMBA (2021, 2022), HALO Vocal Ensemble returned to the stage for an intimate live performance in the round at Melbourne’s The Night Cat and supported Baker Boy at Hamer Hall in June 2022.

Supporting the Hip Hop community to the fullest, contributing his energies to make a better scene and uplifting spirits through music, that is Strictly DT.